The first chapter doesn't leave you waiting, it plunges right into the action and leaves you wanting more. Existing as a Hunter near the bottom of a societal caste system on a brutal world, teen Koral struggles to find her place. Circumstances out of her control force her to make a life changing decision, one that will certainly put her and possibly her family in danger. With preparations for the Glory Race underway, a race in which higher society members enter to become charioteers in the race for a chance to win glory and riches, Koral takes a chance. The race is deadly and dangerous for many reasons, the biggest reason being the unpredictable bipedal, dragon-like creatures known as the Maristags, who draw the chariots. On the brink of the Glory Race Charioteer registration, Koral's name is smuggled into the final drawing...entry into the Glory Race is something one in her position has never dared to do.

I really enjoyed the concepts in this novel, but I had difficulty with the way it was written sometimes. I also think the POV was occasionally awkward. 3 stars bumped up to 4 because of the concepts and creativity.

Monsters Born and Made
by Tanvi Berwah
Pub Date: 06 Sep 2022


Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Fable, this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all.

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

Look, the only thing I want to say about this book is READ IT.

And also — it is one heck of a cliffhanger ending. I NEED MORE.

This story comes out of no where with a slow roll and a sock to the jaw. The characters and their relationships delve deep and touch on so many issues that all seem to culminate into almost everyone is out to get everyone else including those that seem to be ultimately loyal to each other. However, with that being said there are also the few main characters that actually seem to remain true to each other even when they appear otherwise. Berwah captivates and weaves a story that the characters traverse through and her world building is just as masterful. Not only is this a must read, it is a MUST HAVE on your shelf to read again and again and again. I am simply captivated and cannot wait to see what comes next.

I wasn't sure whether to rate this a 3 or 4 star, but figured I'd round up. There was a lot I liked about the book and some things I wish were more clear. Even after reading the entire book, I found some things confusing (such as why everyone was fighting everyone - Renters, Landers, Hunters, Rebels - there was a lot going on). The main plot of the book, the Glory Race, was almost lost in the middle of the other conflicts, and some of the other contestants seems a little cliche (hating the MC just because she was not from their area of the island). A unique premise and lots of interesting elements, but I was left wanting more.

I wish this was better. It seemed like it was going to be amazing. I worry sometimes that there is a balance between world building where it either overwhelms the book or isn't enough. Unfortunately, this falls into the latter. It felt like _The Hunger Games_ but I wish the author was able to keep true to their own ideas.

From the start to finish Tanvi Berwah's Monster Born and Made held my attention and I was immersed in the story. The main character of the story, Koral, is a monster hunter who is put in the unfortunate situation of trying to save her family and get life-saving medicine for her younger sister. In order to do this she needs to enter into and win a hunger games style competition. Koral and the supporting cast of characters are well developed but I did initially struggle to keep the characters straight. Also I felt that a little more time could have been spent on world-building. For example, the book mentions nine islands but aside from mentioning a few characters that come from other islands we learn little of them. Overall, I rated this book five stars and I am looking forward to future books by Berwah.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Oh my goodness. This book was so good once I got into it. Can’t wait to follow the story some more

5 Stars

This book was super interesting and unique. I was enthralled from the very beginning and read it in one day. The plot and twists drive the story forwards and makes for a faster paced novel that makes you grip your seat. I am hoping this will be a series as it will truly be a shame to end it here.

This is so interesting! Totally unique! Also that cover is stunning. I highly recommend this for YA libraries.

I was really excited to read this book and I am so thankful for the eARC it was a thrilling read. There was excitement and twists and turns in every page. Despite localities changing so to speak and new mysteries popping up I didn’t really have the desire to try and guess ahead with who did what in this book like I usually do. And I really can only attribute that to being very engrossed and thrown off my feet with all the guesses I was making.

This was a refreshing take on the dystopian genre as a whole that hasn’t really been seen since the Hunger Games. It felt like a real and authentic story that needed to be told. It wasn’t trauma porn that some teenage girl has to save just for the sake of writing something shocking. It was a narrative against real struggles of trying to save your family, do the right thing, family trauma, government influence, and so much more. The characters were compelling and everyone was unlikeable at times so it didn’t fall into tropes.

I was kind of disappointed about was the lack of background information, which isn’t a huge turn off at this time. I feel a lot of the “missing” information could easily come up in a second/third book or even a prequel. I’m excited to know more about this world and how it functions. How did things end up this way. It left me with questions that weren’t frustrating but have me hooked for more.

On that same topic I like the blending of our traditional myths and legends with the lore of this world and setting. It was beautifully done in a way that feels very authentic and again opens the door to so many possibilities.

I was also a little frustrated that some things were left for interpretation (like Dorians relationship, and things with crane) and not outright said. Which isn’t an issue with the book really more of something I struggle with personally that did at times make reading difficult for me.

I can’t wait to read more from this universe no see what happened next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars

Monsters Born and Made follows Koral, a headstrong and loyal girl who only wants the best for her family, especially her little sister, Liria. Her family is the only one on the island that can capture and tame maristags, a type of sea creature/horse that's dangerous on a good day. Left with no money and a sick and dying sister, Koral sets out to compete in the Glory Race, a competition that occurs every 4 years and is the elite ruling class's entertainment. If she wins, she'll get enough gold to take care of her family.

This book has a very interesting concept, starting from the world building. From what I gathered, humans got on a spaceship and found a mostly habitable planet that they could live on. The references to this are sparse but telling. I liked how the author went about it. It's interesting that these first humans didn't leave much knowledge to their successors - though, it may be that the Landers are hoarding this information.

The class system is separated in two: Landers and Renters. The names are pretty simplistic. If you're interested in this book, you probably like the Hunger Games, so Landers are the Capitol and Renters are the districts. One thing that pits readers against the Capitol is their blatant opulence, something shared by the Landers of this book, but not to the same extent. We only got to see a little of Lander society in this book, but I'm hoping we'll see more in the next.

Of course, with an oppressive class, this breeds rebels. The rebels in this book are called Freedom's Ark, a scattered and disorganized group that can't seem to agree on how to rebel. Koral's involvement with them is a refreshing take that subverts from typical dystopian stories.

I liked the romance within this book. Dorian has his own hidden agenda but his feelings bleed into his actions. Watching him struggle with pleasing his family and his feelings for Koral is an interesting juggle.

Overall, this book was highly enjoyable and I think you'll like it if you like independent protagonists, romantic/rival tension, and dystopian themes. Also, Koral's development with Stormgold: cute!

While the premise of this book immediately compelled me, the actual writing of it felt a bit rushed and underdone. Even as I made my way through the book, I was confused about some of the worldbuilding (I still don't know what strata is), and other details felt so nuanced that they seemed unnecessary. Koral is such a strong character, and I loved her connection with her family and Crane. I wish that we saw more of her own history with Stormgold, as a Hunter, and with Dorian and Crane, rather than have the story dragged by so much worldbuilding that didn't really come together.

Monsters Born and Made follows a sixteen year old names Koral. She and her family train a breed of animals, called maristags. They are then sent off to the Glory Race, which is an event for the powerful and wealthy to enjoy.

This book gave off many vibes, but did not live up to those said vibes. I understand The Hunger Games reference, but it is not the entire same. The world building was sort of complicated, in the sense that we don’t get to understand exactly what these creatures that show up are. It’s very strange in a way.

The character motives were believable, but also some did not much have girth to it. Also, the character themselves were not memorable to me. I admired Koral’s determination throughout the story, though I felt there could have been more to herself than that.

The story was an overall good one, I enjoyed the premise and wish that there was more to get out of it. I feel like if we saw more from other characters, it would add more to the story being told. I however did not enjoy the pacing of the story, and felt it rather too fast or slow at times.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend for people who wanted to get a first step into dystopian worlds, which is not too far off from our own.

Thank you to Tanvi Berwah, NetGalley, and SourceFire Books for an ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first few chapters of this book had me hooked! I have to admit I was intrigued by the promise of sea monsters and a race to survive. What’s not to like?

Then I got to the meaty parts of the book, and quiet a bit was uninteresting, I found myself waiting for the next scene with Crane, or Dorian, or even Emrik. I think I liked being outside of Koral’s head most. When she was having conversations with other characters, or while she was racing in the events. I understand why certain parts had to be in the book, to make everything make sense, but it just felt like a constant info dump.

The last quarter of the book was AMAZING. I loved seeing how Koral would handle the many challenges she was put through, and the races were quiet detailed and descriptive.

However, I wish we would have gotten a little more quality time with Stormgold and Koral to really solidify their bond. I wish there would have been more about Dorian and Koral, but alas. Here we are.

I will say, for readers sake, I hope this isn’t a standalone. If it is, well, let’s just say I’m not a happy camper.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for giving me an E-Arc. My review is give honestly and voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and I loved the world. I did have issues imagining the creatures, so that did take from the experience for me, but that’s most likely just a me thing. There was times I was dragged into the story, like I was the one running through the alley ways and doing what the main character was doing.

Enjoyed Koral a lot. She’s a strong character, but she does make mistakes. I appreciate how she’s also not a know it all character, I feel like it adds depth to her all together. Dorian, I’m still back and forth about him. As a reader I really liked him, but story wise, I’m keeping my eyes on him. The other side characters are the same, I actually found it fun to try to figure out who was on what side.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It was fun and it is different from what I normally read. It seems like this is part of a series so I’m so excited to read the second book in the future!

*spoiler review*

The writing style made it difficult to connect to the main character. The whole thing was like, endless descriptions of the world and Koral’s feelings (but did we ever talk about her feelings?) and the politics (but I still don’t completely understand how this system was all set up and why it’s happening?) and the same arguments with her family and best friend — over and over again. I just wanted this to be a romance with scary water horses because whenever Dorian was on the screen, or there were actual training scenes with the maristags (this happened like twice), I felt invested. Maybe because nothing about her relationships with her family, or anyone other than Dorian, changed. Only her relationships with Dorian and Stormgold (her maristag) were heading somewhere new and interesting. Yes, there was the drama with them wanting to be part of the rebellion and everything, but it didn’t matter. Like, it wasn’t truly affecting Koral. There was no point in it being in the story, and it didn’t even come into play at the end because the climax was all the Landmaster’s fault.

There was so much potential, and I wanted this book to be about something it wasn’t. I love stories about magical horses and families and fighting very hard for something you believe in. Some of those elements were in play, but this turned out to be a dystopian novel before it was any of those things. And I rarely like dystopian novels, even when they’re written in fantasy settings.

It wasn’t all bad. We had some good themes and I loved that Koral wasn’t part of the rebellion, that she wanted no part in something that would only come around and hurt her. She just wanted to save her sister, and that was where her motivations began and ended (but not in a two-dimensional way). I had a few problems with Koral and her obliviousness and rash decision-making, but she was likable nonetheless. I wanted to root for her more than I did.

It was just…the writing and the pacing set me off from the whole story, and I don’t think it focused on the things it should have focused on.

I don’t think I’ll read the sequel, but my longing for more raising/training maristag scenes might force me into it.

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is a great book for fans of stories like The Hunger Games who enjoy the idea of the games and teen romance. For me I found the world building a bit too fast and the romance a little shallow as a result. While I still enjoyed the book, it was a bit oddly paced to me both rushed in it's world building and slow in the story telling (the games don't start until about a third of the way through the novel). I don't think this necessarily makes this a bad novel, but it's not quiet as satisfying as I might have wanted it to be.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Monster Born and Made was so freaking good. Maybe it's because I just watched all of Stranger Things this week or maybe, just maybe, this was just really hard to put down. Either way, I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this and I'm secretly hoping we get another book.

In this, you will meet Koral. She is a monster hunter and has a huge mission: to save her family. The creatures throughout this kept me intrigued. Seriously, after meeting the first one I was completely hooked. It was also pretty interesting to see Koral travel and grow throughout this world as well. The Lander and the Renters could easily annoy and frustrate me. Yet, Koral seemed to handle them with more grace than I could muster into one of my pinky fingers.

Not even going to lie here. I would have punched one of the Landers pretty early on. My adventure would have been nonexistent after that. Besides the drama, we do get some sparks for a romantic interest. It's not the main focus, though, but I would have liked to see more of it. Just saying.

In the end, I wasn't prepared for that ending. Again, I'm secretly hoping and wishing that we get another book. I might cry if we don't because it just can't end like that. It feels like there's more room to grow and potential for a great sequel.

i was excited to read this, but soon realized that it did not live up to my expectations: a fun, well-built exciting world filled with dangerous creatures and exhilarating games. what i did get was horrible build-up, not-fleshed-out worldbuilding, and not much romance tension as teased at in the synopsis. i mean, the games don't start until 10+ chapters later, which makes the reader wait for the action to start. and when there are action scenes, it's dully described. the narrative does more tell than show when it comes to emotions, so when it came to the main character, there was no attachment to her at all. dnf.